TIC TALK STAR

Hatate's hunting glory on both fronts with guidance from gaffer Brendan ringing in his ears as inspiration

- CRAIG SWAN

REO HATATE says the wise words of Brendan Rodgers and a strong mentality can help push him to hit new heights at his club.

But first he's hunting glory with his country.

And Hatate says he will have absent Parkhead pal Kyogo Furuhashi in mind as he aims to make an impact on Japan's Asian Cup title bid.

The midfielder has been a massive miss for Celtic at stages of the season, having suffered two lengthy injury setbacks before a return as a sub against St Mirren eight days ago.

Rodgers embraced him after the final whistle blew on a 3-0 win in Paisley, acknowledging the hard graft he's put in to get back, and the midfielder is using guidance from the gaffer to raise his levels. The 26-year-old wasn't picked as a starter in the opening weeks before his first hamstring issue, only for talks with the boss on his return to see him race back to form.

Hatate was just climbing through the gears again when he suffered a second setback on Champions League duty against Atletico Madrid in October.

But Rodgers maintains full faith in the player's ability to have a big impact on his unit when he returns from Qatar.

Hatate said: "Even though I am being asked to achieve more individual results, my coach has also told me not to get complacent and to hit where I can. I was able to put up numbers.

"That's a good thing but it's not good to be self-centered, so I need to make good choices in my play."

Missing the majority of the group stage in Europe was a big blow to Hatate.